Future of education to be debated
The radical changes in education over the next decade will be the subject of the 2020 Visions for Learning event to be held in Wellington on 17 August. It is being organised by Learning Media.
The event will bring together international leaders in education. The keynote speaker will be US education innovator Dr Monica Martinez.
Dr Martinez is a lead developer of the US-based KnowledgeWorks Foundation’s influential 2020 Forecast: Creating the Future for Learning. The forecast highlights how education is moving towards the individual student being the focus of learning and is brought to life by compelling, real-world experiences.
She is also president of the California-based New Tech Network, a US school development organisation that supports innovative public high schools. New Tech Network lifts outcomes at poorly performing schools by putting the onus on students to become active learners and solve problems themselves rather than being fed information by the teacher. Each student has a computer and access to a variety of online learning tools, with the teacher acting as a facilitator and coach.
2020 Visions for Learning will be opened by Education Minister Anne Tolley. Other speakers will include Secretary for Education Karen Sewell and Massey University Assistant Vice Chancellor (Māori) Professor Sir Mason Durie.
The programme includes a series of roundtable discussions on digital learning, Māori achievement, the curriculum, health education, teacher professional development, and adult workplace education.
The sessions will be led by senior Learning Media staff with presentations from organisations that are partners with Learning Media, for example, the University of Auckland; the New Zealand Council for Educational Research; Te Rau Matatini, national Māori health workforce development organisation; and health consultants Quigley and Watts.
Learning Media Chief Executive David Glover said that the event was timely because education was going to change at an unprecedented rate over the next 10 years.
“Educational change will be driven by the communications technology revolution, globalisation, an increased emphasis on health, and the evolving needs of employers and communities,” David says.
“The rise of social media, to take one example, is changing society and is already reshaping how the next generation of students and teachers view education.
“We wanted to bring together thought leaders and education experts to look at the exciting possibilities for education in the next decade and how they can be made a reality in New Zealand,” David says.